Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) exploded onto the scene in 2014 and has been become wildly popular for its videos, apparel, and, of course, its outstanding coffee. A largely veteran owned and operated company, BRCC is unique because of its radically pro- veteran and pro- America stance and products, and the extent to which virtues and values honed in the military influence every aspect of BRCC business.
The brainchild of the coffee component is Evan Hafer (CEO), a former Green Beret who, like all other individuals mentioned in this post, saw active duty overseas during the war on terror. A coffee lover, Hafer channeled his passion into brewing and grounding his own coffee while on deployments, overcoming situational roadblocks by taking advantage of modified Humvees that gave him the opportunity to make his own coffee, which he then shared with team members as a way of further solidifying the brotherhood of service members, specifically fellow Special Forces operators.
Jarred Taylor (EVP), a former Air Force Tactical Air Control Party Specialist, initially began working with former Army Ranger Mat Best (EVP) to produce videos for Mat’s YouTube channel. Taylor’s first forays into video production included making a memorial video for his bestfriend who was KIA in 2010. The video had such a profound affect on colleagues and family members that Taylor was inspired to create more content and become more proficient as a videographer, which led to his meeting Mat Best. Best first began posting parody videos while overseas working for the CIA. The videos acted as simple comic relief for a few friends and team members until one or two videos eventually wenyt viral, exposing a massive market for the content, previously unknown to Best. It was through the video production community the Best and Taylor would eventually meet. Evan Hafer would eventually spot Taylor and Best’s work and recruit them to be founding members of BRCC.
BRCC is made up of many highly committed individuals, many of whom were in the special operations community. Despite their diverse backgrounds and unique approaches to addressing the same problems, they approach life with the same basic philosophy: live with gratitude, look out for your family, whomever that may be, and enjoy life. They’ve united around this philosophy and found a passion to express this philosophy, by creating “the best coffee company in the world,” using humor specific to military veterans to reach those individuals struggling with the psychological damage of war, and employing veterans to help give them the same sense of family and brotherhood that was so vital to them overseas and stateside as they trained and fought to protect this nation, and freedom around the world. BRCC encapsulates the entrepreneurial mindset by taking a personal passion regarding a specific product, identifying and playing to a specific target audience, and using opportunity and passion to provide a lifeline and a voice for veterans and active duty service members nationally and globally, a mission of immense social significance and eternal difference.
Very good post. It is hard to find companies that upholds american values, so it is really nice to hear that this one does. I know my parents have tried this coffee and were very impressed with it. It is amazing how something as simple as coffee can create such a large impact on veterans and give them the inspiration to create a company.
These guys have definitely established a very solid business! I personally love their Youtube videos and I think that is a huge part in their business. By doing this, they can attract a large group of people with these funny videos that are ultimately big advertisements for their company. What they are doing for veterans is awesome!
Two of my brothers in the military are big fans of this brand and bring it home a lot. I think they really appreciate how niche the market is, how directly focused on them it is. They love the brand, it means a lot to them, and the coffee is really good.
I think this business is tapping into a very large and important niche by providing quality coffee to a target audience that may not have much in common with the values of the more mainstream coffee brands. For example, Starbucks and most other coffee brands often take liberal stances on many issues which can alienate a lot of their customers. I like how Black Rifle Coffee company is taking advantage of selling to this market.
I think this BRCC is a great example of social entrepreneurship, and maybe even redemptive entrepreneurship! I love how they brought together three passions that seemed completely different (coffee, veterans, and humor) and made a successful business out of it.
I loved this post becuase my family has been returning customers for quite some time and even so I had not known a lot about them. Another great example of pursing passions and being prepared in knowing the audience. I also feel as if their audience isn’t too limited by any means. I know this can also be a great gift idea too so thanks for sharing!